


Did You See the Flares?

by panemsfire



Category: The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/F, clove is basically switched with peeta & rue combined, how to tag 101??, we could’ve had it all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:47:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24971044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/panemsfire/pseuds/panemsfire
Summary: A simple act of kindness in the arena can soften someone up, but Katniss knows better.
Relationships: Clove/Katniss Everdeen, Katniss/Clove
Comments: 7
Kudos: 44





	Did You See the Flares?

**Author's Note:**

> reread thg last night and got inspired so here’s this! i hope you enjoy <3

Katniss saws through the remaining bits of the branch with the Tracker-Jacker nest leeched onto it. It tumbles down and explodes with furious wasps. 

the Careers react immediately. Cato far ahead of the others, the girl from 2, the boy from 1, and Peeta not too far behind. “To the lake! To the lake!” Cato chanted among them, they had left their glamorous District 1 girl behind. 

Katniss lands on her back as the venom seeps deeper into her mind. She staggers towards the fallen, still girl and hovers over her body. Her thoughts automatically trace back to the bow and arrows, she grabs a nearby stone and smashes it on the girl’s stone cold fingers.

She has to pry the bow and nearly rip the girls shoulder blade out to get the pack of arrows, but she gets the job done. She tries to stand, but falls back down in defeat, the stench of the stings becomes too much as she heaves over and covers her face in desperation for it to stop.

Katniss hears footsteps rushing towards her, she begins to accept her death, but is taken aback by the person instead. Not her district partner, quite the opposite.

 _It’s the girl from 2_. The girl that stuck to Cato’s hip in companionship. The girl who never missed. She certainly wouldn’t miss Katniss this close. 

“Get up! Get up! Go!” The girl’s voice stings her ears, pulsing with pain. She’s sparkling, dripping with fresh water from the lake. Katniss cocks her head in confusion, she opens her mouth to speak but is cut off by the action in front of her.

Cato rips out from the trees, he’s sparkling too, a bump emerges from his eye from the wasps’ attack. He looks as if he’s trying to converse with his partner, she must’ve answered poorly because the monstrous boy has his sword drawn and is charging right for his past ally.

The girl yanks a knife from her side and throws it- as if in second nature. The knife lodges in Cato’s shoulder, then she throws another into his thigh, she wasn’t meaning to kill him. A warning, to stay away.

The boy from District 1 seems to fall to his side with him, protecting him in some way. Katniss is near blacking out before she’s lifted off of the ragged ground, thrown over a shoulder.

* * *

When Katniss wakes up, her face is smeared with water and her jacket is removed. She begins to panic, that was her only source of heat during the chilled nights.

When she tries to rise, she falls back on the hard rock surface she was lying on. Her joints ache with pain. She turns her head to see the girl from 2 crouched over the stream, polishing her bundle of knives.

“Hey!” Katniss’s voice croaks out. The girl slowly turns her head, not slightly phased at Katniss’s attempt on being intimidating.

“What?” The girl replies. It comes out hostile, in a irritable tone, Katniss lowers her eyebrows.

“Don’t act stupid.” Katniss speaks up again, more clear this time, getting her attention. 

“What do you want me to say? Girl on fire?” The girl says. She genuinely sounds unsure, lost.

“An explanation? Anything?” Katniss says. Her voice rose in that reply, and now her head hurts even worse.

“I don’t know what to tell you, all I can tell you is that I have some angry folks back in 2 right now,” The girl says. Katniss looks away. “I have a target on my back, too.” 

“You didn’t have to,” Katniss tries to sympathize. “I could’ve made it out myself.”

The girl huffs in laughter, then winces due to a stinger in her neck. Her hand slightly tapping the bump in annoyance.

“Know’ how to get rid of these?” The girl says. Katniss gives her a look, _I can try_. 

She gets the message, Katniss doesn’t trust the Career at all, but why not go out giving a helping hand? At least she did something.

Katniss is only a few inches away from the girl, this is the first time she gets a good look at her. Jet black hair, freckles sprayed across her pale face, thick eyebrows, now lowering in concern as Katniss was longingly staring.

Katniss shakes her head a bit and diverts her attention back to the bump, with a stinger about the size of a bottle cap.

Her hand has just grazed the bump before a scream breaks through the trees, and to where the pair sat near the stream.

Katniss quickly turns her head in curiosity. _Who could that be?_ A canon goes off. The girl notices her anxiousness due to the noises.

“Ignore it.” Is all that comes out of the girls mouth, Katniss seems to regain her composure and looks back at the girl.

She jerks the stinger out of the bump, the girl hisses in agony. Then breaks down into slow breathing.

“Thanks, I’m Clove by the way.” Clove says. Her voice still low and as always, uninterested. 

“Oh- Okay. I’m-“ Katniss says only for Clove to tilt her head and open her mouth before she can finish. 

“Katniss.” Clove cuts her off. Katniss squints her eyes in aggravation. 

Katniss redirects her attention towards the stream, the fish. She could get good game from that.

“Where’s my bow?” She turns to Clove, the Career groans and gets up to retrieve the bow and arrows that were perched up against a stone.

“Didn’t want anyone taking it while you were out, or while I was sleeping.” Clove hands the weapon to Katniss willingly, if she wanted to kill her, it would’ve already been done. 

“Thank you.” Katniss hushes. Blood rushes to her cheeks. A simple act of kindness in the arena can really soften someone up, but Katniss knows better.

Clove doesn’t respond, but instead stays on her feet as she watches the sunset. Must be getting dark soon, which brings Katniss back to her jacket.

Katniss rubs her arms as chills cover them, Clove turns her back to notice her doing this. She tilts her head backwards and walks to the stone where her bow once was, and retrieves the plain black jacket.

“I set it in the sun to dry, it was soaked with something.” Clove says as her arm reaches out to Katniss. She politely takes it, the insides still warm with the afternoon sun.

She bites her tongue to keep her from thanking the Career again. Knowing Clove, she would probably slit her throat for being too nice. _Oh, what is she thinking? She doesn’t know Clove at all!_ She could be as soft as a kitten. The whole lethal, hungry for blood thing being an act doesn’t sound impossible.

The sky falls dark, and a few minutes pass before the anthem starts to play. Faces of two tributes are shown. The boy from 1, and Rue.

“Oh, God.” Katniss lets it slip out before she can catch herself, and now Clove is staring at her. 

“Did you know her?” Clove says. Something in the way she asked this, had real empathy laced behind it.

“Not really. She just reminded me of my sister a little bit.” Katniss says. She mentally slaps herself on the forehead, this was probably the last thing Clove wanted to hear about.

“I have a brother, about your sister’s age.” Clove says. She’s resting on her elbows, using her jacket as a prop.

Katniss lays on her side, waiting for Clove to say more, but nothing else comes out of the Career’s mouth.

“Her name’s Prim. Primrose, she’s named after a flower. Nothing like me.” Clove seems to chuckle, a smile spreading across her lips.

“Figured, didn’t think there were much like you in 12.” Clove replies. Katniss is confused by the response, was this an insult or a compliment?

“There’s one like me, Gale. We’re practically siblings.” Clove raises an eyebrow. Katniss feels stupid again, she’s talking too much. Too damn much.

“Cool. Had someone like that back in 2 as well.” Katniss relaxes her tense muscles, a smile crept onto her lips.

Katniss couldn’t read Clove. And that frustrated her. Did she trust her or not? What was the point of all this?

“Poor Marvel, only Cato and that boy from your district now in the pack now.” Clove states. Katniss is puzzled, then remembers the headshot of the boy from 1 that was shown in the sky less than 20 minutes ago.

“I don’t think Peeta will last long, not if he’s up against Cato.” Katniss admits. Clove turns towards her.

“I mean, you never know. They could be hunting us right now.” Clove says reassuringly. That somehow made Katniss feel better.

“Wouldn’t that be a good show.” Katniss says. She can hear Clove giggle again.

“It sure as hell would be.” Katniss laughs at the Career’s response.

Katniss lets sleep take over.

* * *

When Katniss awakes again, she’s facing towards Clove. She catches the girl from 2 making a tower out of flat rocks, _how sweet_. Katniss takes it back, she can’t afford to think like that.

“What’re you doing?” Katniss says with a hint of tease. Clove twists her head quickly as if she’s in the wrong.

“I’m bored..” Clove replies. Her pale cheeks soon coloring with red, Katniss takes notice in her embarrassment.

“Wow, a big bad tribute like you wasting time building a rock tower instead of hunting other weaklings, I’m just so shocked.” Katniss is definitely teasing now, Clove holds back a smile.

“Very funny.” Clove rubs her hands together to get rid of dirt and pebbles, she stands.

It’s hot today, Katniss already has a damp face and Clove’s back is spotted with sweat beads.

“You think we should move? Someone’s gonna find us eventually, and we aren’t exactly camouflaged.” Katniss says. Clove considers the idea.

“Probably, maybe go towards the Cornucopia.” Clove bleated. Katniss doesn’t exactly agree per say, but Clove’s fast. And so is she.

“What would you get? Or we if I’m included?” Katniss asks. Clove crosses her arms.

“Of course you’re included, you’re useful. Don’t know why we didn’t ask you to join us before the games honestly.” Clove chattered. Katniss is taken aback by the swift compliment but realizes, she’s right.

Katniss has her bow, her speed, and she can work her way around a knife. Clove has her throwing knives and it wouldn’t be surprising if she had other weaponry skills on her belt, together they are something the Capitol would’ve _never_ expected.

“Well, thanks. Not that much help with hand-to-hand combat, though.” Katniss breathes. Clove agreed.

In a few minutes, they’re walking away from the stone surface and into the woods. Clove definitely knows the way towards the center, so Katniss trails behind with her bow gripped in hand.

Clove is near a large bush before she starts to crouch and crawl. Katniss catches on, and drops to her own hands and knees, briskly making her way beside Clove. 

“Just as I thought.” Clove snickers mischievously.

Cato and Peeta are set up around the Cornucopia, hogging the pyramid of supplies. 

“What are they saying?” Katniss croaks. Clove tunes in more to understand what her district partner is talking about.

“What’s so special? About her? She can what.. shoot with a bow? Is that it?” Cato says, he has gauze wrapped around his thigh and shoulder, Peeta must’ve helped.

“That about sums her up, and she likes pushing people into vases.” Peeta says. The night of the interviews, Katniss feels guilt rush to her cheeks.

“She did that? That’s illegal,” Cato responds, Peeta leans forward. “And nobody did anything about this?” 

Peeta shakes his head, Cato hums with an idea. “We could do something about it, you know.” Cato speaks up.

Katniss’s stomach drops. She looks back at Clove, who looks slightly more angry and focused.

“Like what? She’s got the girl from your district with her.” Peeta points out. Cato sighs.

“True. But doesn’t mean we can’t beat them, we could trap them,” Clove quirks and eyebrow up interestingly.

“I saw the District 3 boy roam around here earlier, I just woke up so I was too tired to chase him. Maybe he could reactivate the landmines.” Katniss’s mouth drops. Clove shrugs it off.

Peeta nods in approval, Cato gets up instantly and places a spear in Peeta’s hands. “Come on, then.”

They run into the woods, looking for the smart boy from 3. Clove laughs again.

“Idiots, let’s go.” Clove says as she drags Katniss from the bush. They run towards the supplies and grab everything they can. Extra knives, iodine, bandages, food packages, ropes, and a backpack.

Every camera is either on them or Cato and Peeta right now. A rush of adrenaline goes through Katniss, Clove urges her to run with her once the two boys have the scrawny boy from 3 lodged between their arms.

So they run, they run until they’re not in sight of Cato anymore. Clove sits by a tree inhaling for air, Katniss sits in front of her.

“Wait.. why are we running? We have all the weapons we need, we can take them.” Katniss genuinely asks. Clove grins.

“I’m not giving them what they want, not yet at least. Make them wait for it.” By them, she meant the Capitol, the audience is probably begging for us two alliances to brawl at the mouth of the Cornucopia. 

Katniss understands and eats a dried fruit in silence.

When night falls, they are still at the tree. Except Clove is drinking a canteen of water. And Katniss is drawing squiggly lines in the dirt with a stick.

No tributes died today. The Gamemakers probably will get something going tomorrow, something that’ll definitely include Katniss, Clove, Peeta, and Cato. If they don’t get to one another first.

They want entertainment, so why not give it to them? Blood doesn’t have to be shed.. _or does it?_ Katniss shrugs it off. Why not talk it up with Clove? The audience already seems intrigued by them.

She holds back, this could end two ways. A knife in her neck or a conversation the Capitol would die for, especially in boring times like this.

“You’ve saved me twice.” Katniss blurts out, speaking almost too fast. Clove stops.

“I guess I have.” 

“Why?”

“Why do you ask?”

The conversation grows tense, awkward silence hangs in the air.

“Because I-“ Before Katniss can finish her sentence, Clove lunges forward and presses her warm lips against Katniss’s cracked ones.

Katniss has never been kissed before, Gale kissed her on the cheek once. And she kissed Peeta on the cheek after the Tribute Parade. But not like this, not with another pair pulsating on her own.

Katniss stops her by putting a hand on Clove’s chest. Not that she didn’t like it or that she didn’t want to keep going, but she felt vulnerable.

“You crept up on me,” Clove says before she turns on her side. “You just pulled my hair and dragged me through the dirt, not caring if my knives were digging in my back or not.” 

Katniss lays down and faces the other way. She tries to unravel the things Clove said, but fatigue drops onto her eyes.

* * *

When Katniss wakes up, she’s propped up against a tree. She looks for Clove, but no luck.

“Clove?” She utters. Clove comes out from behind a tree, holding three sponsor parachutes.

“Sorry I left, had to get these.” The sponsor cans are full with juice-filled berries, much better than the dried ones. Matches are in another, then a warm roll of bread.

Katniss splits the roll in two, and hands it to Clove, but she politely declines. Katniss only eats a nibble of her half of the roll before shoving it in her pocket.

“We should throw rocks at the landmines, Cato and Peeta probably got that boy to reactivate them after all.” Clove insists. Katniss thinks of the possible outcomes, killing Cato and Peeta, killing _themselves_.

“And if it backfires?”

“At least we did something.” 

Something to remember. That’s her whole brand. She was on fire, she’s unforgettable. Going out with a bang, doesn’t sound too bad.

Now they’re running, running to the bush where they were the day before. Clove has a handful of palm-sized rocks ready to throw, Katniss has her arrows if the plan fails.

When they’re set in the bush, Cato and Peeta are sitting on a plastic carton near one another, the boy from 3 roams the area without getting near the mines.

Katniss gets a glimpse at their targets. Peeta is wrapping Cato’s arm with another strip of gauze. “You need to stop being so reckless, we don’t have much supplies for your injuries.” Peeta murmurs.

Cato huffs as Peeta ties the last two strings together, Katniss glances at Clove, who is just as interested as she is.

“I’m not reckless. I’m protecting myself, and you.” Cato replies with a long breath of frustration. Peeta doesn’t say anything else.

Clove looks at Katniss for approval to throw the first rock, Katniss hesitantly nods. Now or never.

She chucks the stone, she has a real good arm. It hits a patch of grass. The boy from 3 notices and his eyes widen, he glances around while spinning to check his surroundings.

“Someone is throwing stuff.”

“Who? What are they throwing?”

“Rocks.”

“Shit, where?”

Before the boy can answer, Clove throws the second rock. And the carton Peeta and Cato are sitting on flies into the air, the world catches ablaze.

Katniss and Clove fly back into a duo of trees, Katniss’s head spins with pain.

She crawls back to the bush, well, what remains of the bush, and looks into the mess.

A canon fires. Katniss searches for it’s owner, the District 3 boy‘s spear went clean through him. She grimaces. 

Cato is face down, unconscious, about 10 feet away from the Cornucopia. Peeta lies face up with blood staining his forehead.

Katniss turns back to Clove, she has a cut on the side of her head. “Hey-hey let me help.”

Katniss takes the pack off of her shoulders and pulls out a bundle of wrap. Clove tilts her head to the side to allow Katniss to accessibly wrap the Career’s head. _Should she even call her that anymore?_

When Katniss finishes the tie, Clove smiles. A rush of warmth runs through Katniss, she leans forward and kisses her wound.

It begins to rain. Hard. And to make circumstances worse, the wind amps up. Katniss and Clove don’t bother running, one of them may end up slipping on the muddy valleys and breaking their leg. It wasn’t a good idea.

So Katniss sits under the tree where Clove is, and waits for it to pass. She’s already soaked, her boots swishing with artificial water, her baby hairs stuck to her forehead and jaw.

“The Girl on Fire. Extinguished.” Clove grins.

“The Girl with the Knives. Rusted.” Katniss snaps back playfully.

Clove shoves her with a chuckle. Katniss turns to the side and smiles, oh I bet the Capitol loved this.

Katniss and Clove chat again, waiting for the storm to pass. Katniss learns that Clove has a small family, like she had mentioned, and plays softball for her school, but rarely had time for it anymore as the Reaping approached months prior. 

She also learns that her and Cato were friends. Not like her and Gale, but close enough.

“We trained together, and sometimes he helped me with softball and pitched to me,” Clove laughs. “He made it unfair though, one time, he threw it so hard at my head that it cracked my helmet, my dad made him buy me a new one.”

Katniss can see that, Cato being the annoying big brother everyone hated but secretly wanted. A wave of guilt hit her. The fact that these Career tributes were kids, just like her, just like Gale and Prim, like Peeta. Forced to train until they got sick, forced to kill children their age, it made Katniss‘s stomach turn.

Before Katniss can talk about her own home life, the storm stops, and footsteps near the Cornucopia can be heard.

Katniss and Clove lay on their stomachs and try to make out what’s happening.

“Peeta- Peeta wake up, man.” Cato is awake, his hand placed on Peeta’s chest.

“Come on.” His voice cracks, and for the first time, he sounds scared. 

Clove shoots a look at Katniss, she’s nervous.

“No, please, you’re all I have left in here.” Cato has a tear running down his face now, Katniss had no idea how close him and Peeta were.

Peeta’s head doesn’t stop bleeding, no matter how many layers of gauze Cato tries to put on. A cannon fires.

Cato’s cry shakes Katniss to the bone. This is their fault. Clove lowers her head in shame, Katniss does the same.

“It’ll be easier for you now.” Clove says, meaning Katniss won’t have to kill Peeta herself. She doesn’t respond.

They walk on a path before they’re stopped by a body, the girl from District 5 has Nightlock between her fingers. “She was smart, guess hunger took over.” Clove mutters as she continues on.

Katniss looks back at the Fox-faced girl one last time before following her ally. Night falls again, and Clove is so exhausted that she falls to her knees.

“Drink some, then sleep” Katniss pushes the canteen of water into Clove’s hand, she takes it and drinks away.

* * *

About 3 hours into her slumber, grunts and sword slashes can be heard at the Cornucopia. 

Clove rises from the ground just as Katniss does. The Finale. That had to be Thresh and Cato fighting.

Clove pats her belt full of knives, Katniss sets an arrow on her bow string.

“You’re gonna make it out,” Clove says unexpectedly, Katniss’s eyes widen. “You’re a warrior, Katniss. I knew it from the start, I saw the fire in your eyes.” 

Katniss shakes her head.

“I won’t. I’m no match.” Clove is shivering with anxiety, the moonlight lighting her face up.

“You’re better than we are.” 

Thresh’s throat is finally slit by Cato’s sword. He holds his throat tightly, then lays still, a canon fires.

Final 3. Katniss hangs onto Clove’s arm for dear life. _I can’t let you go just yet_.

Clove is out of the woods, Katniss behind her. Cato turns with a smirk.

“Well, well, well. The lovebirds have came out of their nest!” He’s laughing as if he’s lost his mind. The way Clove’s looking at him, he may already have.

He draws his sword. Clove draws her knife. Katniss lifts her bow. This is what being scared to death feels like.

“Oh, Clove. I thought we were friends..” Cato says. His sword shines menacingly.

“Don’t!” Katniss yells at Clove. 

_Don’t give in._

Katniss can’t say much after this, because Cato’s running straight for her.

This was the test. Did Clove really care for Katniss? She is frozen still with her bow shakily balancing on her string.

When Katniss begins to fall from fear, or maybe exhaustion, Clove steps in front of her and throws the knife into Cato’s already-injured shoulder.

He swears as he rips the knife out. Clove’s brave enough to grip Katniss’s arm and drag her to run around the Cornucopia, the moonlight now showing their shadows.

When they’re a far enough distance away from Cato, Clove shifts to pull another knife out, but is stopped by Katniss.

Katniss is strong enough. She shoots an arrow into Cato’s thigh, he screams in agony. This is too much for him.

Cato is on his knees, sweat dripping from his face and body. He pulls the arrow out, he has to be numb at this point.

He looks up at Katniss and Clove, he’s begging for a mercy kill. 

“I don’t want to win anymore.”

Clove has tears threatening to spill, but she holds it. And instead, runs over to her friend and wraps her arms around him.

_What are you doing?_

Katniss knows this is no good.

And she’s right. Because before she can warn Clove, Cato has already impaled Clove with his sword.

Katniss doesn’t hesitate this time. She fires an arrow so fast, so fast, into Cato’s head. He falls back onto the ground, a cannon fires.

“Clove, Clove!” Katniss is throwing herself onto the hard ground.

It’s silent for a few moments, Clove holds her hand out to Katniss. She takes it and squeezes it as her shoulders shake.

“What do you want me to say? Girl on Fire?” Clove repeats the line she said to Katniss at the stream. 

“No, don’t say anything. P-Please.” 

“I told you..“

Katniss stops her.

It takes all the energy Clove has left to move Katniss’s hand.

“You made it out.”

A cannon fires.

Katniss throws her bow as far as she can, and protects Clove’s body from the hovercraft.

Katniss rises, she looks at Clove one last time. Jet black hair, freckles sprayed across her grey face, thick eyebrows, now high as life has left her body.

Katniss was still longingly staring.

“ _Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present, the winner of the 74th annual Hunger games_.”

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you think! thank you for reading.


End file.
